Former undisputed light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka has slammed his upcoming opponent Aleksandar Rakic ahead of their fight at UFC 300 next month. A native of the Czech Republic, he urged his compatriots, fellow Europeans, to keep their feelings for samurai and bushido code to themselves.
Prochaska, currently No. 2 in the light heavyweight rankings, has been out of action since headlining UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden in November.
Prochaska, making his first appearance since winning the undisputed gold medal with a stunning five-round submission over Glover Teixeira, defeated Alex Pereira by second-round knockout in the pair's vacant title fight. He lost and was stopped.
And former Rizin FF champion Prochaska, who is set to return at UFC 300 in Las Vegas next month, will face fellow European talent Rakic in a potential title eliminator bout.
Jiri Prochaska criticizes Aleksandar Rakić
Reacting to fan-favorite contender Rakic's plans to exploit an apparent “hold” in his bout, Prochaska urged the Austrian contender to keep his word and carry out his intentions inside the Octagon.
“He (Aleksandar Rakic) is a Serbian who lives in Austria,” Jiri Prochaska told All-Star in a recent interview. “I don't know him personally, so I don't like talking about him in situations where I don't know, don't know, really don't know someone personally. I'm always surprised when [and] who i am. I'm not a samurai or anything like that, so please shut up. You don't know anything about me, we talk in cages. ”
“I never said I was [a] Samurai,” Jiri Prochaska explained. “I always just talk about the code of Bushido, the idea of Bushido. [the] The world of the samurai and how it helped me be who I am, live in this world, and have rules. I like the samurai's attitude, not about fighting, but about the living living a fulfilling life, in other words, living life to the fullest.The samurai attitude is not like that – I use all these ideas and principles in combat and conflict situations, but I haven’t found it, I already did. in myself. ”
Rakic has been sidelined for almost two years since then, most recently suffering a debilitating knee injury in a clash with former champion Jan Blachowicz in the 2022 main event.
Who will win next month's UFC 300: Jiri Prochaska or Aleksandar Rakic?
